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Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
Cape Girardeau County is a county located in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 75674. While the largest city in the county is Cape Girardeau, the county seat is actually Jackson, which was the first city named in honor of President Andrew Jackson . The county was officially organized on October 1, 1812 and is named after Ensign Sieur Jean Baptiste de Giradot, a French official. The "cape" in the county's name is named after a promontory rock overlooking the Mississippi River. Cape Girardeau County is the central hub of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is also the site of one of the oldest cold cases in the state of Missouri. Bonnie Huffman, a 20-year-old schoolteacher, was found murdered in a ditch just outside of Delta on July 2, 1954. History Cape Girardeau County was organized on October 1, 1812, as one of five original counties and is named after Ensign Sieur Jean Baptiste de Girardot (also spelled Girardeau or Girardat), a French officer originally stationed at Kaskaskia, Illinois from 1704-1720 who later developed a trading post on the site on the present-day city of Cape Girardeau around 1733. The "cape" in the county name was a rock promontory overlooking the Mississippi River and Claire's house the original cape rock was destroyed by railroad construction. The county's name derives from a district located in the area when the Spanish controlled the region. The first Cape Girardeau County Courthouse was constructed in 1818 by John Davis. This courthouse burned in 1870. The present courthouse in Jackson was completed in 1908 and was designed by P.H. Weathers. Education Of adults 25 years of age and older in Cape Girardeau County, 81.1% possess a high school diploma or higher while 24.2% hold a bachelor's degree as their highest educational attainment. Public Schools *Delta R-V School District - Delta **Delta Elementary School (K-06) **Delta High School (07-12) *Oak Ridge R-VI School District - Oak Ridge **Oak Ridge Elementary School (K-06) **Oak Ridge High School (07-12) *Nell Holcomb R-IV School District - Egypt Mills **Nell Holcomb Elementary School (K-08) *Jackson R-II School District - Jackson **Gordonville Attendance Center (K-03) - Gordonville **Millersville Attendance Center (K-03) - Millersville **North Elementary School (K-05) **Orchard Drive Elementary School (K-03) **South Elementary School (PK-05) **West Lane Elementary School (03-05) **Jackson Middle School (06-07) **Russell Hawkins Jr. High School (08-09) **Jackson High School (10-12) *Cape Girardeau Public Schools No. 63 - Cape Girardeau **Alma Schrader Elementary School (K-04) **Blanchard Elementary School (K-04) **Clippard Elementary School (K-04) **Franklin Elementary School (K-04) **Jefferson Elementary School (K-04) **Cape Central Middle School (05-06) **Cape Central Jr. High School (07-08) **Cape Central High School (09-12) **Cape Girardeau Career & Technology Center (10-12) Private Schools *Cape Christian School (K-08) - Cape Girardeau - Assembly of God/Pentecostal *Deer Creek Christian Academy (PK-07) - Cape Girardeau - Christian *St. Mary Cathedral School (K-08) - Cape Girardeau - Roman Catholic *St. Vincent De Paul Elementary School (K-08) - Cape Girardeau - Roman Catholic *Trinity Lutheran School (PK-08) - Cape Girardeau - Lutheran *Immaculate Conception School (PK-08) - Jackson - Roman Catholic *St. Paul Lutheran School (PK-08) - Jackson - Lutheran *Eagle Ridge Christian School (PK-12) - Cape Girardeau - Non-denominational Christian *Notre Dame Regional High School (09-12) - Cape Girardeau - Roman Catholic *Saxony Lutheran High School (09-12) - Jackson/Fruitland - Lutheran Post Secondary Education Cape Girardeau County is home to two public post-secondary educational facilities. *Metro Business College - Cape Girardeau *Southeast Missouri State University - Cape Girardeau Religion According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Cape Girardeau County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Cape Girardeau County who adhere to a religion are Roman Catholics (25.06%), Southern Baptists (23.60%), and Lutherans (18.31%). Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 98.69%) is land and (or 1.31%) is water. The geography of Cape Girardeau County varies greatly. The areas around the towns of Delta and Dutchtown are flood plains, while western and northern areas are hilly and forested. Adjacent counties *Perry County (northwest) *Union County, Illinois (northeast) *Alexander County, Illinois (east) *Scott County (southeast) *Stoddard County (south) *Bollinger County (west) Major highways * Interstate 55 * U.S. Route 61 * Route 25 * Route 34 * Route 72 Demographics 2012 Estimate }} As of the census of 2000, there were 68,693 people, 26,980 households, and 17,941 families residing in the county. The population density was 119 people per square mile (46/km²). There were 29,434 housing units at an average density of 51 per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.13% White, 5.28% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Approximately 0.91% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 26,980 households out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.80% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.50% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.96. In the county the population was spread out with 23.40% under the age of 18, 13.40% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $45,862, and the median income for a family was $58,037. Males had a median income of $32,371 versus $20,833 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,303. About 6.70% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.40% of those under age 18 and 10.10% of those age 65 or over. Politics Local The Republican Party predominantly controls politics at the local level in Cape Girardeau County. Republicans hold all of the elected positions in the county. State In the Missouri House of Representatives, Cape Girardeau County is divided into two legislative districts, both of which are represented by Republicans. *District 146 – Consists of most of the entire county outside of the city of Cape Girardeau, although a small portion of the northern edge of the city is included in this district. The district also takes in all of the city of Jackson as well as the communities of Pocahontas, Oak Ridge, Old Appleton, Gordonville, Dutchtown, Delta, Allenville, and Whitewater. Donna Lichtenegger, a Republican from Jackson, was reelected in 2012 to her second term in the Missouri House. *District 147 – Consists of most of the city of Cape Girardeau and a small sliver of the mostly rural stretch of Highway 74 to Dutchtown. Kathy Swan, a Republican from Cape Girardeau, was elected in 2012 to her first term in the Missouri House. Five representatives, all of whom have been Republicans, have held this seat in a span of five years following Nathan Cooper’s resignation in 2008: Cooper, Mary Kasten, Clint Tracy, Wayne Wallingford, and now Swan. In the Missouri Senate, all of Cape Girardeau County is a part of Missouri’s 27h District and is currently represented by Republican Wayne Wallingford of Cape Girardeau. Wallingford ran unopposed in 2012 and was elected to his first term in the Missouri Senate to succeed fellow Republican Jason Crowell of Cape Girardeau. Crowell successfully served two terms/eight years in the Missouri Senate and was ineligible to seek a third term due to term limits. Federal Missouri's two U.S. Senators are Democrat Claire McCaskill of Kirkwood and Republican Roy Blunt of Strafford. McCaskill was reelected to her second term in 2012 with 54.81 percent of the statewide vote over former Republican U.S. Representative W. Todd Akin of Town & Country and Libertarian Jonathan Dine of Riverside; Cape Girardeau County voters, however, supported Akin with approximately 54 percent of the vote. Blunt was elected to his first term in 2010 with 54.23 percent of the statewide vote over former Democratic Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, Libertarian Jonathan Dine of Riverside, and Constitutionalist Jerry Beck of Novelty; Cape Girardeau County voters backed Blunt with just over 69 percent of the vote. All of Cape Girardeau County is included in Missouri's 8th Congressional District and is currently represented by Republican Jason T. Smith of Salem in the U.S. House of Representatives. Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to complete the remaining term of former Republican U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson of Cape Girardeau. Emerson announced her resignation a month after being reelected with over 70 percent of the vote in the district. She resigned to become CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative. Political Culture Cape Girardeau County has been one of, if not the, most staunchly Republican strongholds in Southeast Missouri. Lyndon B. Johnson was the last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Cape Girardeau County in his landslide election in 1964. Since then, voters in the county have solidly backed the Republican presidential nominees, often by convincing margins. Like most areas throughout Southeast Missouri, voters in Cape Girardeau County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Cape Girardeau County with 83.19 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Cape Girardeau County with 63.12 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research. Despite Cape Girardeau County’s longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes like increasing the minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Cape Girardeau County with 60.04 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage. Missouri Presidential Preference Primary (2008) *Former U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 4,510, than any candidate from either party in Cape Girardeau County during the 2008 Missouri Presidential Preference Primary. Cities and towns Cities *Cape Girardeau *Delta *Jackson Villages *Allenville *Dutchtown *Gordonville *Oak Ridge *Old Appleton *Pocahontas *Whitewater Unincorporated towns *Burfordville *Daisy *Friedheim *Fruitland *Millersville *New Wells *Oriole *Egypt Mills See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri References External links * Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Cape Girardeau County from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books Category:Counties of Missouri Category:Cape Girardeau County, Missouri Category:Cape Girardeau – Jackson metropolitan area Category:Missouri counties on the Mississippi River